The game centers on the quest of Mario and Luigi to save the rulers of seven kingdoms from Bowser, the series' antagonist. The two brothers must travel across eight worlds to restore order to the Mushroom World. It built on the game play of previous Mario games by introducing new power-ups that augment character abilities, and established conventions that were carried over to future games in the series.

Prior to its private consumer North American release, game play footage from Super Mario Bros. 3 appeared in the Universal Studios filmThe Wizard, which helped fuel the game's anticipation among fans. Upon its release, the game was commercially successful and has since become one of the best-selling video games in the industry. Super Mario Bros. 3 was well received by critics and has been included in numerous lists of top 100 video games. The success of the game resulted in an animated television show based on its elements, and in the game's re-release on later Nintendo consoles.